U.S. patent number 6,973,445 [Application Number 09/867,754] was granted by the patent office on 2005-12-06 for demarcated digital content and method for creating and processing demarcated digital works.
This patent grant is currently assigned to ContentGuard Holdings, Inc.. Invention is credited to Guillermo Lao, Aram Nahidipour, Michael C. Raley, Thanh T. Ta, Bijan Tadayon, Xin Wang.
United States Patent |
6,973,445 |
Tadayon , et al. |
December 6, 2005 |
Demarcated digital content and method for creating and processing
demarcated digital works
Abstract
Flags are used to mark portions of content in a digital work to
permit marking or demarcation of portions of the document. The
demarcated portions can be handled in various ways. For example,
different usage rights can be applied to demarcated portions, the
demarcated portionis can be culled for use as a summary, or the
like. The flags can be used to demarcate portions of content that
has been downloaded to keep track of payment and download status
and thus add flexibility to electronic distribution of content. A
flag usage rights element can be attached to limit and control
access to flags in a desired manner.
Inventors: |
Tadayon; Bijan (Germantown,
MD), Nahidipour; Aram (Mill Creek, WA), Wang; Xin
(Los Angeles, CA), Raley; Michael C. (Downey, CA), Lao;
Guillermo (Torrance, CA), Ta; Thanh T. (Huntington
Beach, CA) |
Assignee: |
ContentGuard Holdings, Inc.
(Wilmington, DE)
|
Family
ID: |
25350409 |
Appl.
No.: |
09/867,754 |
Filed: |
May 31, 2001 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
705/64; 380/203;
380/241; 380/242; 382/100; 382/232; 700/94; 705/57; 705/58;
713/165 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G06Q
10/10 (20130101); G06Q 20/382 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
G06F 017/60 () |
Field of
Search: |
;705/54,57 ;380/203
;713/150 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
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|
Primary Examiner: Backer; Firmin
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Kaufman; Marc S. Nixon Peabody,
LLP
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A computer readable medium having computer readable instructions
embedded therein for effecting a method for distributing digital
works for use in a digital rights management system, said
instructions comprising: instructions for receiving a request from
a requesting device for downloading digital content data;
instructions for associating a flag element with said digital
content data, said flag element having at least one memory
register; instructions for downloading a portion of said digital
content data; instructions for manipulating said flag element to
store at least one demarcation flag in at least one of said at
least one memory register, said at least one demarcation flag being
stored at specific locations within said at least one memory
register to demarcate the downloaded portion of said digital
content data; and instructions for associating at least one
respective usage right with said at least one demarcation flag,
said at least one respective usage right specifying a permitted
manner of use of the respective demarcated downloaded portion of
said digital content data, wherein said at least one memory
register corresponds to memory addresses on an addressable memory
indicating the downloaded portion of said digital content data,
whereby the downloaded portion of the digital content data can be
determined with said at least one demarcation flag without
accessing the digital content data for enforcing said permitted
manner of use of the respective demarcated downloaded portion of
said digital content data.
2. The computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein said
instructions for downloading comprises instructions for downloading
a portion of said digital content data that will fit into the
available memory of a device receiving said content data.
3. The computer readable medium of claim 2, further comprising
instructions for determining said available memory in said device
receiving said digital content data, wherein said instructions for
manipulating said flag element comprises instructions for storing
at least one of said demarcation flags in at least one of said
memory registers corresponding to memory addresses demarcating a
portion of said digital content data, said demarcated portion
corresponding to said available memory of said device receiving
said digital content data, and wherein said instructions for
downloading a portion of said digital content data comprises
instructions for downloading a portion of said digital content data
in memory addresses corresponding to said demarcated portion.
4. The computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein one of said at
least one demarcation flag demarcates a non-downloaded portion of
said digital content data.
5. The computer readable medium of claim 1, further comprising
instructions for collecting fees based on one more demarcation
flags representing downloaded portions of said digital content
data.
6. The computer readable medium of claim 1, further comprising
instructions for collecting fees based on one more demarcation
flags representing an aggregate of the downloaded portions of said
digital content data.
7. The computer readable medium of claim 1, further comprising
instructions for employing said at least one demarcation flag for
customization of said digital content data for a user.
8. The computer readable medium of claim 1, further comprising
instructions for changing a scope of said at least one respective
usage right associated with said at least one demarcation flag.
9. The computer readable medium of claim 1, further comprising
instructions for employing demarcation flags to implement a
hierarchical access scheme with respect to a plurality of digital
content data.
10. The computer readable medium of claim 1, further comprising
instructions for employing demarcation flags to allow said digital
content data to be at least one of selected, separated, cut,
copied, and printed.
11. The computer readable medium of claim 1, further comprising
instructions for employing demarcation flags to be inserted
automatically to keep track of habits of a user.
12. The computer readable medium of claim 1, further comprising
instructions for employing demarcation flags for securing user
access to said digital content data.
13. The computer readable medium of claim 1, further comprising
instructions for allowing a user to demarcate said digital content
data with one or more demarcation flags.
14. The computer readable medium of claim 1, further comprising
instructions for allowing said requesting device to automatically
demarcate said digital content data with one or more demarcation
flags.
15. The computer readable medium of claim 1, further comprising
instructions for employing demarcation flags for super distribution
of said digital content data to one or more users.
16. A method for distributing digital works to a computing device
for use in a digital rights management system, said method
comprising: receiving a request, from a first computing device, at
a second computing device, for downloading digital content data;
associating a flag element with said digital content data, said
flag element having at least one memory register; downloading a
portion of said digital content data to said first computing
device; and manipulating said flag element to store at least one
demarcation flag in at least one of said at least one memory
register, said at least one demarcation flag being stored at
specific locations within said at least one memory register to
demarcate the downloaded portion of said digital content data, and
associating at least one respective usage right with said at least
one demarcation flag, said at least one respective usage right
specifying a permitted manner of use of the respective demarcated
downloaded portion of said digital content data, wherein said at
least one memory register corresponds to memory addresses on an
addressable memory indicating the downloaded portion of said
digital content data, whereby the downloaded portion of the digital
content data can be determined with said at least one demarcation
flag without accessing the digital content data for enforcing said
permitted manner of use of the respective demarcated downloaded
portion of said digital content data.
17. The method of claim 16, wherein said downloading step comprises
instructions for downloading a portion of said digital content data
that will fit into the available memory of said first computing
device.
18. The method of claim 17, further comprising the step of
determining said available memory in said first computing device,
wherein said manipulating step comprises storing at least one of
said demarcation flags in at least one of said memory registers
corresponding to memory addresses demarcating a portion of said
digital content data, said demarcated portion corresponding to said
available memory of said first computing device, and wherein said
downloading step comprises downloading a portion of said digital
content data in memory addresses corresponding to said demarcated
portion.
19. The method of claim 16, wherein one of said at least one
demarcation flag demarcates a non-downloaded portion of said
digital content data.
20. The method of claim 16, further comprising collecting fees
based on one more demarcation flags representing downloaded
portions of said digital content data.
21. The method of claim 16, further comprising collecting fees
based on one more demarcation flags representing an aggregate of
the downloaded portions of said digital content data.
22. The method of claim 16, further comprising employing said at
least one demarcation flag for customization of said digital
content data for a user.
23. The method of claim 16, further comprising changing a scope of
said at least one respective usage right associated with said at
least one demarcation flag.
24. The method of claim 16, further comprising employing
demarcation flags to implement a hierarchical access scheme with
respect to a plurality of digital content data.
25. The method of claim 16, further comprising employing
demarcation flags to allow said digital content data to be at least
one of selected, separated, cut, copied, and printed.
26. The method of claim 16, further comprising employing
demarcation flags to be inserted automatically to keep track of
habits of a user.
27. The method of claim 16, further comprising employing
demarcation flags for securing user access to said digital content
data.
28. The method of claim 16, further comprising allowing a user to
demarcate said digital content data with one or more demarcation
flags.
29. The method of claim 16, further comprising allowing said
requesting device to automatically demarcate said digital content
data with one or more demarcation flags.
30. The method of claim 16, further comprising employing
demarcation flags for super distribution of said digital content
data to one or more users.
31. A computer program product including one or more computer
readable instructions embedded on a computer readable medium and
configured to cause one or more processors to perform the steps
recited in claim 16.
32. A computer system including one or more computer hardware
and/or software devices configured to perform the steps recited in
claim 16.
Description
RELATED APPLICATION DATA
This application is related to Applicants' patent applications
entitled METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR TRANSFERRING USAGE RIGHTS AND
DIGITAL WORK HAVING TRANSFERRABLE USAGE RIGHTS (Ser. No.
09/867,740), METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR ESTABLISHING USAGE RIGHTS FOR
DIGITAL CONTENT TO BE CREATED IN THE FUTURE (Ser. No. 09/867,747),
METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR DYNAMICALLY ASSIGNING USAGE RIGHTS TO
DIGITAL WORKS (Ser. No. 09/867,745), METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR
ASSIGNING CONDITIONAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL RIGHTS TO DOCUMENTS AND
DOCUMENTS HAVING SUCH RIGHTS (Ser. No. 09/867,749), and METHOD AND
APPARATUS FOR HIERARCHICAL ASSIGNMENT OF RIGHTS TO DOCUMENTS AND
DOCUMENTS HAVING SUCH RIGHTS (Ser. No. 09/867,748), which are being
filed concurrently herewith, and are incorporated herein by
reference in their entirety.
BACKGROUND
The subject invention relates generally to management of digital
works and more specifically to demarcated digital content and a
method for demarcating the content of digital works and processing
the digital works.
One of the most important issues impeding the widespread
distribution of digital works or documents (i.e. documents in forms
readable by computers), via electronic means, and the Internet in
particular, is the current lack of ability to enforce the
intellectual property rights of content owners during the
distribution and use of digital works. Efforts to resolve this
problem have been termed "Intellectual Property Rights Management"
("IPRM"), "Digital Property Rights Management" ("DPRM"),
"Intellectual Property Management" ("IPM"), "Rights Management"
("RM"), and "Electronic Copyright Management" ("ECM"), collectively
referred to as "Digital rights management (DRM)" herein. There are
a number of issues to be considered in digital rights management:
authentication, authorization, accounting, payment and financial
clearing, rights specification, rights verification, rights
enforcement, and document protection for example. U.S. Pat. Nos.
5,530,235, 5,634,012, 5,715,403, 5,638,443, and 5,629,980 disclose
DRM concepts addressing these issues and are incorporated herein by
reference.
In the world of printed documents, a work created by an author is
usually provided to a publisher, which formats and prints numerous
copies of the work. The copies are then sent by a distributor to
bookstores or other retail outlets, from which the copies are
purchased by end users. While the low quality of copying and the
high cost of distributing printed material have served as
deterrents to unauthorized copying of most printed documents, it is
far too easy to copy, modify, and redistribute unprotected digital
works. Accordingly, some method of protecting digital works is
necessary to make it more difficult to copy them without
authorization.
Unfortunately, it has been widely recognized that it is difficult
to prevent, or even deter people from making unauthorized
distributions of electronic works within current general-purpose
computing and communications systems such as personal computers,
workstations, and other devices connected over communications
networks, such as local area networks (LANs), intranets, and the
Internet. Many attempts to provide hardware-based solutions to
prevent unauthorized copying have proven to be unsuccessful. The
proliferation of high band-width "broadband" communications
technologies will render it even more convenient to distribute
large documents electronically, including video files such as full
length motion pictures, and thus will remove any remaining
deterrents to unauthorized distribution of digital works.
Accordingly, DRM technologies are becoming a high priority.
Two basic DRM schemes have been employed to attempt to solve the
document protection problem: secure containers and trusted systems.
A "secure container" (or simply an encrypted document) offers a way
to keep document contents encrypted until a set of authorization
conditions are met and some copyright terms are honored (e.g.,
payment for use). After the various conditions and terms are
verified with the document provider, the document is released to
the user in clear form. Commercial products such as IBM's
CRYPTOLOPES.TM. and InterTrust's DIGIBOXES.TM. fall into this
category. Clearly, the secure container approach provides a
solution to protecting the document during delivery over insecure
channels, but does not provide any mechanism to prevent legitimate
users from obtaining the clear document and then using and
redistributing it in violation of content owners' intellectual
property.
Cryptographic mechanisms are typically used to encrypt (or
"encipher") documents that are then distributed and stored
publicly, and ultimately privately deciphered by authorized users.
This provides a basic form of protection during document delivery
from a document distributor to an intended user over a public
network, as well as during document storage on an insecure
medium.
In the "trusted system" approach, the entire system is responsible
for preventing unauthorized use and distribution of the document.
Building a trusted system usually entails introducing new hardware
such as a secure processor, secure storage and secure rendering
devices. This also requires that all software applications that run
on trusted systems be certified to be trusted. While building
tamper-proof trusted systems is a real challenge to existing
technologies, current market trends suggest that open and untrusted
systems such as PC's and workstations using browsers to access the
Web, will be the dominant systems used to access digital works. In
this sense, existing computing environments such as PC's and
workstations equipped with popular operating systems (e.g.,
Windows.TM., Linux.TM., and UNIX) and rendering applications such
as browsers are not trusted systems and cannot be made trusted
without significantly altering their architectures. Of course,
alteration of the architecture defeats a primary purpose of the
Web, i.e. flexibility and compatibility.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,634,012, the disclosure of which is incorporated
herein by reference, discloses a system for controlling the
distribution of digital documents. Each rendering device has a
repository associated therewith. A predetermined set of usage
transaction steps define a protocol used by the repositories for
carrying out usage rights associated with a document. Usage rights
are encapsulated with the document content or otherwise associated
with the document to travel with the document. The usage rights can
permit various types of use such as, viewing only, use once,
distribution, and the like. Rights can be granted based on payment
or other conditions.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a conventional model for a system for
the electronic distribution of digital works, which may include
correspondence, books, magazines, journals, newspapers, other
papers, software, audio and video clips, and other files objects,
and the like. The phrase "digital work" as used herein refers to
any type of element having content in computed readable form.
"Content" as used herein refers to the viewable or otherwise usable
portion of a digital work. Author 110 creates original content 112
and passes it to a distributor 120 for distribution. Ordinarily,
author 110 is the creator of the content. However, the term
"author" as used herein can be the creator, owner, editor, or other
entity controlling the content or an agent (e.g. a publisher) of
one of those entities. Also author 110 may distribute documents
directly, without involving another party as distributor 120 and
thus the author and distributor may be the same entity. However,
the division of functions set forth in FIG. 1 is more efficient, as
it allows author 110 to concentrate on content creation and not the
administrative functions of distribution. Moreover, such a
breakdown facilitates economies of scale by permitting distributor
120 to associate with a number of authors 110. Distributor 120
distributes digital works to user 130 upon request. In a typical
electronic distribution model, the work is distributed as a
document containing the content and associated usage rights in
encrypted form. Distributor 120 encrypts the works with a random
key and then encrypts the random key with a public key
corresponding to user 130. Thus the encrypted work is customized
solely for the particular user 130. User 130 is then able to use
their private key to unencrypt the random key and use it to
unencrypt and view the content at the work.
Payment for the work is passed from user 130 to distributor 120 by
way of clearinghouse 150 which collects requests from user 130 and
from other users who wish to sue a particular content.
Clearinghouse 150 also collects payment information, such as debit
transactions, credit card transactions, or other known electronic
payment schemes, and forwards the collected payments as a payment
batch to distributor 120. Of course, clearinghouse 150 may retain a
share of the payment as a fee for the above-noted services.
Distributor 120 may retain a portion of the batch payment from
clearinghouse 150 for distribution services and forward a payment
(for example royalties) to author 110. Distributor 120 may compile
a bundle or batch of user requests for a single work before
distributing the work. In such a case, a single instance of the
encrypted work can be generated for unencryption by all of the
requesting users 130.
Each time user 130 requests (or uses) content of a work, an
accounting message is sent to audit server 140 which ensures that
each request by user 130 matches with a document sent to user 130
by distributor 120. Accounting information is received by audit
server 140 directly from distributor 120. Any inconsistencies are
transmitted via a report to clearinghouse 150, which can then
adjust the payment batches made to distributor 120 accordingly.
This accounting scheme is operative to reduce the possibility of
fraud in electronic distribution and to handle any time-dependent
usage permissions that may result in charges that vary, depending
on the duration or other extent of use.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A first aspect of the invention is a digital work recorded on
computer readable media comprising a content element including
content data to be utilized by an end user, a content usage rights
element associated with the content element and including data
stored in addressable memory and specifying usage rights for the
content element, and a flag element associated with the content
element and having memory registers for saving demarcation
flags.
A second aspect of the invention is a method of marking portions of
content data of a digital work stored in addressable memory
comprising, associating a flag element with the content data, the
flag element having memory registers for saving demarcation flags,
selecting a portion of the content to be marked, and manipulating
the flag element to indicate the marked portion of the content.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING
The invention will be described through a preferred embodiment and
the attached drawing in which:
FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a conventional digital work
distribution system;
FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the a storage device having a digital
work in accordance with the preferred embodiment stored thereon;
and
FIG. 3 is a schematic representation of the flag element of the
preferred embodiment.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
DRM techniques and systems permit digital works to be distributed
electronically while allowing the content owner, such as the
copyright holder, to control use of the content and receive
remuneration for the content. However, there are still several
factors that tend to prohibit widespread electronic distribution of
many works, such as works having a large amount of content,
valuable content, and the like. For example, many devices, such as
pagers and personal digital assistants (PDAs), have limited memory
and communications bandwidth. Therefore, in many cases it is not
practical, or even possible to download a work in its entirety to
such devices. Of course, the publisher could divide the intended
work into plural documents of a smaller size. However, in such a
case, the user would have to go through the purchasing and download
procedure plural times to receive the entire intended work. Also,
different devices have different memory sizes and communications
bandwidth. Accordingly, the publisher would have to divide the
document into documents of a size corresponding to the smallest
memory and lowest bandwidth, i.e. the lowest common denominator, to
ensure compatibility with all devices.
Consider a hypothetical situation in which a consumer orders a book
or other digital work. If the digital work is too large to fit into
the available memory of the user's device, then the download of the
digital document will fail. Alternatively, if the work takes too
long to download, the user may terminate the download. In either
case, a sale may be lost, or the user may be charged for a work not
received, depending on the fault tolerance of the distributor's
system.
Applicant has discovered that portions of a work can be demarcated
from the other portions thereof in a flexible and dynamic manner to
be downloaded and used independently of other portions. Markers,
i.e. flags, can be used to mark portions of the document that were
downloaded and portions that were not downloaded. The flags and the
content can be stored in the same memory device or in different
memory device at different locations. Further, the flags can be
stored in the user's device or stored in a remote central server,
for example the distributor's server. A file containing the flags
can be associated with the content of the work in any way. The
flags (as the markers of the content) can inform the server that
only certain portions of the document have been downloaded, and
thus can be used to keep track of downloaded portions, to save
memory space or transmission time. The flags can be used as a basis
for the fee required from user 130 to be paid to the distributor
120 or clearing house 152. For example fees can be based on the
amount of the content requested for download, or actually
downloaded, during a download session. The invention can be adapted
for use with the conventional distribution system illustrated in
FIG. 1 or any other system.
FIG. 2 illustrates the relationship between flags and document
content of a work in accordance with preferred embodiment. Content
file 210 is stored on storage device 200 and includes information
to be downloaded to a user device, i.e. content data, for use by
user 130. For example, content file 210 can include a book, music,
video clip, or the like. Content usage rights 240 are associated
with content file 210 in a known manner. For example, content usage
rights 240 can be of the form disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,634,012
and can be associated with content file 210 in the manner disclosed
in the same patent. Flag file 220 (described in detail below) is
also stored in memory device 200 and is associated with content
file 210. Further, flag usage rights 230 are associated with flag
file 220 to specify usage rights for flag file 220. In other words,
flag usage rights 230 specify who may make changes to flag file 220
and under what circumstances such changes can be made. The phrase
"associated with" as used herein, broadly refers to a
correspondence, such as a call, a link, an Application Programming
Interface (API) call, or commands in an executable program creating
a correspondence between files or information.
Accordingly, upon download of a portion of content file 210, flag
file 220 can be created, changed, or otherwise manipulated, to
include one or more flags indicating which portions of content file
210 have been downloaded. If flag file 220 is updated whenever
portions of content file 210 are downloaded, distributor 120 or
clearing house 150 can monitor how much, and which portions, of
content file 210 have been downloaded. This permits user 130 to be
charged only for downloaded portions of content file 210 or to be
charged only once for the entire content of content file 210 and
permitted to download remaining portions of content file 210 at
subsequent times. In such cases, flag usage rights 230 might only
let distributor 120, clearing house 150, or another authorized
party, manipulate flags 300 so that user 130 or others cannot
tamper with the download record.
FIG. 3 illustrates the contents of flag file 220 of the preferred
embodiment. Each box of FIG. 3 represents a memory register
corresponding to an address in memory device 200, or a block of
such addresses, corresponding to portions of content file 210.
Flags 300 can be placed in the blocks, i.e. memory registers, to
indicate the start or end, or any other aspect, of a demarcated
portion of content file 210. In the preferred embodiment, flags 300
include start flags 310, and end flags 320 to respectively indicate
the start and end of demarcated portions. In such a case, flags 300
can be represented by two integers to distinguish between
corresponding start flags 310 and end flags 320. However, flags can
be represented by a single integer if they are used merely as
markers. For example, memory addresses of content file 210 between
consecutive flags 300 can be demarcated. Alternatively, flags 300
can be any number of integers or in any form as required by the
particular application and need to distinguish between flags 300.
For example, as will become apparent below, flags 300 can serve
many purposes and it may be desirable to distinguish between
different types of flags. Also, a single flag can be used to mark
content without a second corresponding flag.
In the preferred embodiment, the usage rights, in the form of
content usage rights 240, are attached to content file 210 and are
part of the digital work corresponding to content file 210. As the
digital work is distributed, the scope of the granted usage rights
will remain the same or may be narrowed. For example, when a
digital work is transferred from a document server to another
device, the usage rights may include the right to loan a copy for a
predetermined period of time (called the original rights). When the
device loans out a copy of the digital work, the usage rights in
the loaner copy (called the next set of rights) could be set to
prohibit any further rights to loan out the copy. The basic idea is
that one entity or device cannot grant rights that are greater than
the rights that the entity has.
The attachment of content usage rights 240 to content file 210 may
be accomplished in a variety of ways as described in detail in the
patents noted above and incorporated herein by reference. If the
usage rights will be the same for all content in a digital work,
content usage rights 240 can be attached when the digital work is
processed for deposit in the server of distributor 120. An
authoring tool or digital rights assembling tool can be utilized to
create and attach the usage rights. For example, the XrML.TM.
rights language and related tools can be used.
Assuming the content in digital form, or a portion thereof, has
been downloaded to a device, such as the user's personal computer,
PDA, or the like, user 130 may begin reading the content, for
example a book. However, user 130 most likely will not finish the
book in one reading session. Accordingly, after the reading
session, user 130 can manipulate flag file 220 to create flag 300
(serving as a digital bookmark) to mark the unread portion of the
text. The manipulation can be accomplished by the user through the
device standard interface using software running on the device or
another coupled device or manipulation can be automatic. For
example, when the user closes the application running the book or
closes the file corresponding to the downloaded book content, flag
file 220 can be manipulated accordingly. The newly created flag 300
is then saved in flag file 220 for the future use of user 130, or
the use of other parties having authorization to access flag file
220 as specified by flag usage rights 230. User 130 can specify
multiple flags for different locations in the book. The user can
specify who will have authorization for access to flags 300, or the
authorization can be supplied from a predetermined source, such as
a database or directory.
User 130 can be more than one entity, in which case the multiple
entities can have joint authorization for manipulation of flags 300
through flag usage rights 230. A multiple signature scheme or a
voting scheme can be used to ensure proper authorization by joint
users. Some users may be able exercise veto power. All such rights
and rules can be implemented through flag usage rights 230 in a
known manner. Access to flag usage rights 230, i.e. the ability to
change the usage rights for flag file 220 can be granted in a
similar manner.
Further, flags 300 can be in the form of calls, links, or other
references to additional digital works 250 and thus can be used to
permit the user to attach additional content data, such as one or
more text documents, reminder notes, music, or multimedia pieces,
to the content data in content file 210. Usage rights and flags can
be assigned to a content file of the additional work 250 in a
manner similar to content file 210. Accordingly, a hierarchical
access scheme can be established. In other words, content is
attached to other content via flags 300, which are attached to some
other content via flags 300, in a pyramid or tree structure.
As, discussed above, one or more flags 300 can be used to demarcate
a specific portion or portions of the content data in content file
210 to be selected, separated, cut, copied, printed, or otherwise
processed in a desired manner. For example, in the case of the
content of content file 210 being music, the frequency or volume of
a portion of the music could be changed by demarcating that portion
with flags 300. Further, the demarcated content portion can be
filtered or compressed using an adaptive filtering or compression
scheme. The demarcated portion also could be watermarked or
encrypted selectively. A demarcated portion of content
corresponding to a textbook or a speech can be marked for
translation to another language, using a translation engine or a
human translator. Furthermore, the default currency used for
payment for the content can automatically be changed in accordance
with the translation language requested by the user.
Memory devices, specifically those in portable devices, are not
always reliable. Therefore, a loss of data may occur, such as when
the device operating system crashes, or when the device is subject
to mechanical or electrical shock. In such a case, user 130 may
desire to download the same content data or portions of content
data to replace the content lost from memory. Of course, user 130
may have already paid for the content data. Flags 300 in flag file
220 can be used for aggregation and maintaining records of
downloads and payments by user 130. For example, flag file 220 can
be stored on the server of distributor 120 or clearinghouse 150 and
flags 300 can demarcate portions downloaded and/or paid for by user
130. In such a case, flags 300 can be used for aggregating
micropayments, i.e. plural relatively small payments, and charging
the user at a future time, monthly or after downloading the entire
content for example. Billing can be based on the credit limit user
130 applied for and obtained from distributor 120, clearinghouse
150, a credit card company, or other party financing the
transaction. Also, flags 300 permit billing to be based on the
portions of the content data purchased by user 130. Flags 300 can
also be inserted automatically and be used to keep track of the
reading habits (speed, frequency, and overall statistics) of user
130, based on the information gathered from many flags 300 during
many sessions over a period of time.
In addition, flags 300 can be used to demarcate portions of a book
or other content (by marking at least the beginning and the end of
a portion of the content), from which a summary or abstract can be
obtained automatically. Further usage rights and/or fees can be
separately assigned to the abstract or summary as well. For
example, flags 300 can demarcate specific sentences or passages
that convey the essence or a preview of the content for viewing as
a summary. The demarcated portions can be merely parsed out of the
content and presented as the summary. Alternatively, a neural
network with fuzzy logic capability, or any other artificial
intelligence engine, can be applied for proper organization and
classification of the demarcated portions. Such an engine can be
trained or tuned to organize the demarcated portions based on
keywords or relevant topics. Examples of training algorithms for
artificial intelligence are the iterative algorithm for obtaining a
solution weight vector for linearly separable classes, and the
training by back propagation method. In general, in a successful
training session, the network error decreases with the number of
iterations, and the procedure converges to a stable set of weights
that exhibit only small fluctuations with additional training.
Fuzzy logic engines (using membership functions and fuzzy set
theory) provide more flexibility to the decision process. The
decisions are not merely binary but can include fuzzy terms, such
as "Low", "High", "Many", and "Approximately". This is useful for
classification purposes. The obtained summary can be used for
review purposes, for a database searched by a search engine, to
direct the other users to the original book for further
information. Demarcated words or other portions of the content data
can be used for indexing a search engine using keywords/phrases
selected by author 110 or publisher 120 as opposed to keywords
determined by the search engine.
Furthermore, flags 300 can be used for the collection of
educational course materials or assignments by a course instructor
or other person setting curriculum. In particular, portions of the
content can be demarcated, parsed out, and saved by distributor 120
(or given directly to students), for automatic collection and
transmission of portions from different works, and for keeping
track of charges to the students for those portions, according to
the prices assigned for those portions. Flag file 220 can be
customized for Teaching Assistants, students, or the like. For
example, the Teaching Assistant's flag file 220 may include
demarcated portions having quiz answers and teaching aids. Of
course such portions would not be demarcated by flag file 220 for
students. It can be seen that one content file 210 can have plural
flag files 220 or one flag file 220 can be associated with plural
content files 210.
In addition, when traveling, the user can access a large amount of
content stored on their home computer or elsewhere on their behalf
using a hand-held device or a wireless device. Flags 300 can be
used during unfinished downloads for large files to mark parts of
the content for future downloads. The determination of required
memory can be done automatically before a download procedure to
streamline and optimize the downloading process by placing flags
300 in registers of flag file 220 demarcating content file 210 into
portions of the desired size. Further, the system, such as a
content server owned by distributor 120, can be configured to auto
download the demarcated portions on a periodic basis.
Generally, flags 300 can be used for customization of content for
each user by demarcating and keeping track of various portions of
content. For example, each user can have one or more private and
public libraries (a collection of books, book chapters, articles,
or other works, selected by user 130), to which others can be
granted access, based on the user's assignment of content usage
rights 240. There may be more than one library, one for each
subject (for example, one for a history collection and one for a
scientific literature collection), in which case an automatic
classification based on key words or neural networks can facilitate
the selection of the appropriate default library. Personal
libraries are folders for flag files 220 and can be distributed to
others to mark and/or link content from various locations, such as
various Web sties. The content of a library can be of any type or
of any combination of types. The library allows the marked works to
be easily correlated and retrieved for sale or other
distribution.
User 130 can demarcate the name of books in a library (or
alternatively, a small portion, a sample, or summary) by
manipulating flags 300 and limiting content usage rights 240 by
time, copies, or the like to encourage purchase of the content by
peers for super distribution, i.e. redistribution by users 130.
Group discounts referral points or monetary compensation can be
given to the user for any redistribution.
Once the authorization granted by content usage rights 240 to use
the content has expired, the content data can be automatically
erased, or modified. For example, a the content data can be changed
so a watermark or an intrusive message can appear on a rendered
image, making the image useless or inconvenient. Or, for music, the
frequency of demarcated ranges can be increased or silenced, making
it unpleasant to listen to.
When content data is accessed from or stored on multiple servers or
other devices, flags 300 can be used to keep track of servers for
an optimized accessing scheme. For example, flags 300 can be used
for identification and referral to a specific server for edge
delivery of content over the Internet or any other network (as
opposed to centralized content delivery), to solve the
first-mile-bottleneck problem (related to traffic on the network
and speed of delivery). Flag file 230 can be stored on or accessed
by a central server which keeps track of flags 300 to allow various
portions of content data to be demarcated for downloading from
different servers based on load on each server or other
characteristics and variables.
Another application of the preferred embodiment is in record
keeping, such as laboratory notebooks or other notes kept by
engineers, laboratory scientists and others. Conventionally, a
laboratory scientist or engineer records test results,
observations, and comments on a conventional paper lab notebook for
future reference. The "lab notebook" is continuous, cannot easily
be altered, is initialed and dated by the user, witnessed by
others, and often is stored in a physically secure place. Such
procedures render laboratory notebooks valuable as reliable
evidence in legal proceedings, such as for establishing the date of
recorded activity. Because of the ability to tamper with digital
records, digital records have not been utilized to a great extent
as laboratory notebooks or other legal records.
To provide a comparable level of protection and integrity in a
digital work, an electronic lab notebook can be provided, in which
the text, figures, tables, or data can only be inserted at the end
of the file. The text, figures, tables, or data can be changed,
However, in such a case, all of the previous versions remain intact
in the file for future inspection or auditing. The content data of
the electronic lab notebook can be stored in content file 210 and
previous versions can be demarcated by flags 300 to be hidden as a
default for convenience and ease of review. The time and dates for
each session can be recorded according to a secure and centralized
clock, i.e. all entries are time-stamped, together with the
electronic signatures, i.e. a code that can be attached to a
document to uniquely identify an individual creating or modifying
the document of the users and witnesses. Each session can be marked
clearly by flags 300 and indexed in a database using an automatic
search engine. The contents of the electronic laboratory notebook
can be stored in content file 210 and the sessions, entries or
previous versions are demarcated by flags 300 stored in flag file
220 and rights thereto are specified by content usage rights
240.
The overall work, or just content file 210, can be encrypted, or
hash functions can be applied thereto, to insure the integrity of
the data. A "hash value" is a number generated from a string of
binary value. The hash is substantially smaller than the original
data itself, and is generated by a formula in such a way that it is
extremely unlikely that some other data will produce the same hash
value. Hash values thus can be used to ensure that content has not
been tampered with. The creator generates a hash value of the
content, encrypts it, and stores the hash value with the content in
content file 210. An authorized user can subsequently decrypt both
the content and the hash value and produce another hash value from
the content. The original and the new hash value can then be
compared. If they're the same, there is a very high probability
that the content has not been tampered with.
The right to inspect or audit the electronic laboratory notebook
can be different from the right to use the same and can be effected
through content usage rights 240. For example, the right to inspect
may be granted only to a judge or an attorney. A copy of content
file 210, content usage rights 240, flag file 220, and flag usage
rights file 230 corresponding to the electronic lab notebook can be
transmitted to a neutral, trusted third party for safe and
redundant storage. The third party preferably will not have the
right to inspect the content. Plural electronic lab notebooks can
be linked together or merged, in which case the encryption or hash
functions should be employed again to get the resultant or total of
the contents secured as a whole. The order of the changes or
mergers can be recorded and demarcated by flags 300 for future
auditing purposes.
The preferred embodiment can be applied to all types of the digital
works having any content, such as magazines, movies, multimedia,
speech, software, and music. Further, the preferred embodiment can
be used in any type of distribution model such as those based on
subscriptions, club membership, pay-per-view, set-top-boxes,
quantity of usage, usage period of time, expiration date, number of
printouts, number of copies, purchase, view, try-before-you-buy, or
rental.
As noted above, different parties may have different usage rights.
Accordingly, the identity of a party can be ascertained through the
use biometrics (such as face recognition, iris recognition, eye
recognition, fingerprint recognition, voice recognition, knuckle
recognition, or hand recognition), signature analysis, Public Key
Infrastructure (PKI) technology, password, device ID, smart cards,
magnetic ID cards, and DRM schemes. Further, the usage rights can
be granted only upon payment of a fee or other event. The content
and flags of the preferred embodiment are separate files. However,
the content and flags can be stored in any element and need not be
separate files.
The distribution, accounting, and other functions of the
distributor and clearinghouse can be accomplished by any party on
any device. For example, the content can be rendered on an ebook
reader or PDA in response to entry of a code or insertion of a
smartcard into a reader and accounting can be accomplished when the
digital work or accounting data is returned to a specific source.
The division of tasks disclosed herein is only an example. Usage
rights and or accounting data can be encapsulated with the digital
work or can be stored separately. Code for rendering, decrypting,
or otherwise permitting or limiting use of the content can be
stored on any device or can be encapsulated with the digital work.
Any distribution arrangement can be used with the invention and
such arrangements can include any combination of devices, such as
personal computers, servers, PDAs, and the like communicating with
one another in any manner as is necessary to transfer the desired
information.
The invention has been described through a preferred embodiment.
However, various modifications can be made without departing from
the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims and
legal equivalents.
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